Archive for the ‘John Piper’ Category

“When I say that God is the Gospel I mean that the highest, best, final, decisive good of the gospel, without which no other gifts would be good, is the glory of God in the face of Christ revealed for our everlasting enjoyment. The saving love of God is God’s commitment to do everything necessary to enthrall us with what is most deeply and durably satisfying, namely himself. Since we are sinners and have no right and no desire to be enthralled with God, therefore God’s love enacted a plan of redemption to provide that right and that desire. The supreme demonstration of God’s love was the sending of his Son to die for our sins and to rise again so that sinners might have the right to approach God and might have the pleasure of his presence forever.”

Lots of conversations this week about anxiety after last Sunday’s sermon in Matthew 6. Our focus was on the downward drag that anxiety has on our generosity – and many of you are building on that connection and seeing its impact in other areas of your life.

As you wrestle with this area of sin in your life (and I want to encourage you to attack it from that angle and not just blow it off as an innate part of your personality), let me encourage you to do two things:

Make it Known. Confess this to your friends in your community group and fight club. Be specific. And ask for their help in praying for you and pointing you to Jesus.

Get Trained. Use this page of resources from John Piper on Fear and Anxiety. Read and think and write and take steps away from anxiety as you move towards becoming a person whose faith in Jesus becomes more secure.

This past Sunday, we talked about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, empowering us for life and mission by creating in us a deepening delight in who Jesus is and what he has done, is doing and will do in and through us.

Two books that might help to fan that delight into a flame – both by John Piper and both available for free online:

Fight Clubs take place when 2-3 men or 2-3 women engage the Scriptures together to know their sin and fight their sin by trusting in Jesus as their Savior. This is detailed work that necessitates digging beneath the surface and rooting out the sin that exists beneath our sin – the motivations and patterns of thinking that influence our behavior.

Doing this in a way that’s helpful – growth in obedience that erupts out of a growing trust in an all-satisfying Christ – requires that we know how to read the Bible. Here are a couple of resources to help you out: